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‘Building Your Career’, an initiative aimed at giving second level students direct access to leading construction firms with a view to taking up a construction apprenticeship, held a pilot event at Ballyfermot College of Further Education.
T
he programme is a collaboration between the Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection (DEASP), Dublin Regional Skills Forum and CIF, with the support of Solas, City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB), Ballyfermot Training Centre and Youthreach.
A total of 75 young people from schools in the Ballyfermot area attended the pilot event to learn more about the construction career opportunities open to them as well as the educational routes they can take to pursue careers in construction.
CIF member companies in attendance at the event included Collen Construction, Designer Group, Jones Engineering and Mercury Engineering.
David Lee, Construction Director with Collen Construction, who himself attended Ballyfermot College of Further Education as an apprentice, addressed the students and outlined the range of exciting opportunities open to young people in the sector.
Tom Parlon, CIF, Director General and Dermot Carey, Director, Safety & Training were also in attendance and spoke at the event.
“The construction sector is making a strong recovery, and it is anticipated that employment will reach 220,000 in the coming three years,” said Dermot Carey. “There is a vast array of opportunities in the sector, and we want to attract young people to take up these jobs. This is why the CIF is delighted to lend its support to Building Your Career.”
Ray Kelly, Director of Apprenticeship & Construction Services, Solas, said, “Solas actively encourages employers to recruit and register apprentices as a means of developing the skills, knowledge and competence of their staff to meet the challenges of an ever-changing economy.”
Organisers hope to run Building Your Career events in other ETB colleges across the country in the coming year.